With its twists and turns, lies and betrayals, The Traitors has become one of the most popular TV shows in recent years – but what secrets happen behind the scenes that we don’t get to see on camera?
Hosted by Claudia Winkleman, the latest instalment of the civilian series started on January 1.
And, while the 60-minute episodes are rich with detail (and drama), there’s a whole raft of secrets behind the scenes. And as we know, if there’s one thing The Traitors is good at, it’s secrets.
So, whether you’re a Traitor or a Faithful, keep reading to learn some of the hidden facts behind the BBC sensation…
‘Stale’ breakfasts
Amid all the drama during breakfast, it can be easy to miss the elaborate spread in front of the contestants.
But it isn’t always as appetising as it looks.
Speaking to Betway, former contestant Zack Davies said: “If you’re first in, you get a lovely spread of food that’s just been prepared and laid out. But if you’re last, it’s usually stale pieces of bread or whatever’s left, like cold smoked salmon. By the end, it’s never quite the same.”
Zack isn’t alone with this. Ivan Brett in an X post that the breakfast is “dry and not very nice” — and as a former Faithful, we’re inclined to agree with him.
John McManus then revealed a bigger bombshell — the breakfast they eat on the show isn’t actually their main breakfast. He told The Sun that contestants get served an initial breakfast in their room.
A two-drink limit
When it comes to drinking, you might be surprised to discover that there’s a limit for contestants. Wilf Webster told Heatworld that there’s a two-drink limit. But as he points out, it’s probably for the best.
“They said two, but they [the drinks] always disappeared after one,” he said. “They don’t want us to mess up and get drunk and accidentally do something.”
Late-night filming
Late-night filming is also a big part of The Traitors. “I can’t really talk about it, but you basically leave the castle one by one,” he explained.
“I assume if they want to hold Traitors back for filming, they’ll leave it so no one else can see. Maybe film at 3am or something.”
During an appearance on Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett’s Dish podcast, Claudia Winkleman seconded this. When asked what time they filmed, she said: “Probably midnight because it gets dark incredibly late, so you’re filming really late.”
Contestants are on ‘lockdown’
During the shows, the contestants are on lockdown — and military-like operations help to keep it that way.
Executive producer Mike Cotton told The Express: “They don’t have access to the internet or telephones. They can’t communicate with one another or the outside world in any way.”
Claudia also said on that “the amazing thing about that castle is if you leave the castle, there are so many tributaries”.
“So everybody is man-marked, they have somebody who is looking after them, and when they leave the castle, they don’t see each other until they arrive at breakfast.”
Sarah Fay, a producer who also spoke to The Express, emphasised the importance of this. “The whole integrity of the game relies on no one finding out who the Traitors are while we’re filming. When they come into the castle in the morning it’s like a military operation — and the same when they leave.”
Contestants don’t sleep in the castle
Mike also confirmed that “when [the contestants are] not at the castle, they’re on lockdown in individual lodgings”.
Jonathan Ross added that he and the other contestants actually stayed in a hotel.
“You wouldn’t usually stay there for more than a few nights at a time, I guess, so all of us found it towards the end a bit claustrophobic,” he admitted.
“You don’t even have a phone in the room. When you want to order food, or you want to talk to someone about something, you can stick a laminate under the door.”
Emotions run high
Whether you’re a Traitor or a Faithful, the game can be emotionally taxing — leading some to resort to desperate measures.
Zack claimed that when he told fellow contestant Paul Gorton he wanted to vote him as a Traitor, he got “a bit emotionally blackmailed by him”.
“When we were walking into the round tables, he was staring at me the entire time, mouthing: ‘It’s not me, it’s not me,'” he claimed. It’s such a high-pressure environment.”
To cope with this environment, there were a lot of secret notes.
“Everyone had these crazy books covered in scribbles, basically,” Zack shared. “Mine was totally random, no method or reasoning, just complete rambles.”
There were also plenty of tears, as Zack recounted how “Harry [Clark] had to go outside once for a cry when he voted for Johnny [Holloway].”
Wilf also admitted that he got emotional at times, telling Digital Spy that Claudia was on hand to comfort him. “She was really comforting during the times that I struggled,” he said. “Really comforting. There were parts where I didn’t want to do it any more.
“You see it in an episode, where she comes in and asks: ‘Why did you do that?’ and it was literally like someone stabbing me in the heart when she said that, and I just broke down, and she was so supportive at that point.”
Psychological safety
Given the emotions involved in this game, it’s reassuring to know that there are professionals on hand.
“It’s an ongoing cycle every single day,” Mike said. “We have a psychologist on hand doing regular check-ins and a team watching everything that’s filmed. Any concerns, they step in.”
Celebrity Traitors star Paloma Faith also told The Sun that she visited the welfare team more than once. “It is not on camera – I went to see them [welfare] all the time. Yeah it was a therapist.
“I definitely learned some things about myself that I thought I had moved on from, from my childhood and everything. I guess it is a game of trust, isn’t it? So it is quite unsettling when you feel like everyone you know might not be as trustworthy as they seem – everyone is playing a game, and it is hard to rationalise.”
How much is everyone paid?
While civilian contestants battle it out for the cash prize of up to £120,000, they aren’t “technically” paid for their time on the show.
Former contestant Aran Evans said in a YouTube Q&A: “They don’t technically pay you, they subsidise what you would have got for work with the show, it’s roughly like £100 a day. It’s not that much… But it’s definitely worth it.”
By contrast, celebrity contestants are paid a flat £40,000, and can win up to £100,000 to donate to their chosen charity.
As for Claudia, she has been paid a seven-figure total in the past from her work on both Strictly and The Traitors
The Traitors returns on BBC and iPlayer on January 3 at 7.45pm.
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